** Top Club in NIPA 2016/17 **

20th April 2017

Catchlight Camera Club was crowned Top Club in Northern Ireland for the 4th consecutive year at the recent conclusion of the inter-club competition! The theme for Round 5 was "Bad Weather" and things were fairly close between the top 3 clubs, going in to Round 5. Thankfully a couple of top class images managed to see the Club maintain its position in first place, with a winning margin of 15 points from second place CBPPU. Bangor CC was 3rd.

Thanks to all Club members who contributed to the season's internal selection evenings, and made the task selecting the right images very hard indeed on a lot of occasions. As usual, the fact that we have up to 10 members that regularly compete in National and International Exhibitions, and who actively pursue photographic Distinctions, meant we had a great pool of images to draw on, many with established pedigree in larger Open competition.

This has been another successful season for Catchlight Camera Club, with many highlights throughout the season. We made the final of the PAGB Print Championships for the second time in October, which guarantees us entry for 2017/18. Our Members continue to win individual medals and awards in Open Exhibitions all over the UK, Ireland and Internationally. Hugh Wilkinson DPAGB BPE4* in particular, excelled himself by winning the coveted FIAP Blue Badge for best individual entrant in both the Bristol and Southampton International Exhibitions in 2017! To our knowledge, no camera club members from Northern Ireland had ever won FIAP Blue Badges previously, and now we have Bob Given (2), Ross McKelvey (4) and Hugh Wilkinson (2) all with FIAP Blue Badges! John Tinneny LIPF LRPS won the Will McCrum Cup for Portraiture run by CPA at the start of the Year. Several of our members have continued to successfully apply for Distinctions from the IPF, RPS and the PAGB.

In NIPA, Catchlight is unique in having 4 DPAGB qualified members and 1 MPAGB member as well as 7 CPAGB qualified members. Congratulations to NIPA Past-President Terry McCreesh in particular, who finally got round to adding letters after his name, with success at CPAGB level. Terry has taken on a whole new lease of life as a result!

Next up this Season is the NIPA Exhibition. Members are encouraged to put forward a full entry of 4 mono prints and 4 colour prints and 4 PDI's for selection by an independent Judge. All those members who achieved starred images in the inter-club competition will now be in the running for the top image title, to be judged at the NIPA 50th anniversary weekend in Bangor on the weekend of 20/21 May.

Catchlight is also taking part in the IPF Club Championships in Mullingar on the weekend of 13/14 May. Dundalk PS will be hot favourites this year, having not won the title of Top Club for 3 years, and the standard of their work this season is top class. Catchlight however, will be submitting a strong entry to at least keep the eventual winners and top placed Clubs honest! We are delighted to hear that fellow Belfast Club BPIC will also be taking part in the IPF Club Championships for the first time this year.